‘Young and the Restless’: Eric Braeden Says Mal Young Shoved Victor Newman Out

Young and the Restless star Eric Braeden blamed Mal Young for Victor Newman disappearing from Y&R for months. In a recent social media video chatting with fans, he explained recent changes on Y&R. Braeden answered fan questions. And the subject of recently-fired showrunner Mal Young cropped up. Braeden was definitely honest with fans about what the British writer/director tried to do to him and his character.

Young and the Restless: Eric Braeden Blames Victor Newman Absence on Mal Young

Recently, Eric Braeden held a video Q&A online, where he answered any questions that Y&R watchers wanted to ask. The Victor Newman actor opened up about Mal Young’s departure from the show. This came up when he was asked why viewers never see Victor Newman’s office anymore. This led to Braeden being honest, as he always is, with his fans.

The actor explained that Mal Young desperately tried to diminish the role of Victor Newman. He said Mal Young wanted Victor around less and tried to change his long-standing presence on the show. This doesn’t necessarily come as a total surprise, as longtime vets ended up leaving the show under Mal Young’s much-criticized regime on Young and the Restless.

Eric Braeden, however, didn’t like this. In his own words, he said that he never forgave Mal Young for what he tried to do. However, Mal Young is gone now, much to viewers pleasure — and apparently Braeden’s, as well. With him gone, no doubt fans can expect to see lots more Victor Newman on Y&R.

Y&R: Mal Young’s Storylines Come to an End – Finally!!

At long last, Mal Young’s stories will come to an end on Young and the Restless. While at the moment his final plot lines are still playing out, in coming weeks, new head writer Josh Griffith’s material will take over. Viewers will finally get to see how these storylines will play out. Most fans are hoping to see the CBS soap come back to its glory days with legacy families front and center again with Mal Young gone.

One huge storyline that viewers want to end is JT Hellstrom’s (Thad Luckinbill) murder story. Everyone agrees it’s been going on far too long. As the murder happened almost a year ago, fans seem overwhelmingly sick of it dragging out. However, the big question is whether the resolution of the story will be what Mal Young wrote – or a new ending crafted by Josh Griffith. Either way, at least it will be over soon!

Nikki: “Katie, if you’re playing a game, you have to come out now, baby.”

Young and the Restless: Legacy Cast Returns With Mal Young Gone?

While Y&R viewers want to see some storylines wrap up, they also want to see actors returns that were pushed out by Mal Young. Probably at the top of the list is Eileen Davidson (aka Ashley Abbott). When she departed the show, viewers were devastated. However, now that Mal Young is out, she could always head back to set.

Mishael Morgan, who portrayed Hilary Curtis, also left the show during Mal Young’s reign. She was yet another fan favorite. With Hilary dead, her comeback doesn’t seem likely. But those events led to Lily Winters (Christel Khalil) being sent to prison. The new writer could certainly release her and bring her back active on Young and the Restless.

Christel decided to step down to recurring star on the soap and speculation was it was all about Mal Young’s negative influence backstage. With him gone, maybe she’ll be back on contract. One thing is certain. Eric Braeden pulled no punches making it clear that Mal Young was the reason Victor Newman was suddenly rarely seen. But now he’s back with a vengeance! You can watch Y&R weekdays on CBS.